


all that shimmers is sure to fade

by xiuchens



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, SeHo if you squint really hard, also some SeBaek?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 10:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10534731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiuchens/pseuds/xiuchens
Summary: All Baekhyun wants is someone to take care of him. Or pay for him.





	

He moved like he owned the place.

Baekhyun wasn't all muscles or sharp angles like some of the other guys. He had a small build and looked frail enough for people to want to take care of him but not enough that they pitied him. He was all droopy puppy eyes always ready to receive. Love or money bills, it didn't matter. It was all the same to him. Glitter scattered across his chest, bills stuffed in his underwear and quite a few more decorating the stage floor he danced in. People watched him under the dim lights, eyes hungry and expectant.

With a sway of hips Baekhyun had them all staring and lusting after him, and those were the moments he felt incredible, invincible even. As soon as he went down backstage things changed. The confidence Baekhyun had on stage was replaced by worries and doubts. It was a little over a month until his 25th birthday and that only meant his time as a dancer was almost over. His kind only existed to give rich patrons some entertainment and by the time they turned 25 they had to pay off their debts to their Club (no matter how long or hard you worked there, you were always indebted) and leave. Even if Baekhyun had managed to save good money over the seven years he worked there most of that money would stay with the club when he left. Some dancers relied on rich benefactors who would pay off their debts, but most of them had to leave on their own and never made it past 30 years of age. Their society was not kind to former dancers because they simply didn't matter once they were done with their glittery days. Quite a few patrons were stupid enough to fall in love with dancers, others paid off their debts in exchange for sex, something that wasn't allowed inside the club, but so far Baekhyun wasn't lucky enough to find someone who would do such thing for him. There had been offers in the past but somehow the agreements always fell through at the last minute so eventually Baekhyun just accepted his future full of loneliness and uncertainty. His time was running out and Baekhyun gracefully decided to take whatever came his way.

Three weeks before Baekhyun’s birthday he was resting backstage when Jongdae came hopping in, a huge kittenish smile across his lips.  
  
"He's doing it, he's paying my debt”, he said, small quiet voice so uncharacteristic of him. Baekhyun knew the answer but found it in him to ask anyway.

“Who?”

“Minseok”, Jongdae didn't raise his voice as if saying it out loud would make it not real.

“I'm happy for you, Jongdae, you deserve better than all of this”, Baekhyun tried his best to convey how sincere he was, even if it reminded him of his own situation. Jongdae had been his friend since he joined Praha Club and was only a few months younger than Baekhyun so finding a benefactor was also becoming a crucial matter for him.

This Minseok guy started coming to the club about a year earlier and since day one he only had eyes for Jongdae. They clicked instantly during their for private encounter, Jongdae with his bright smile,infectious laugh and loud personality, Minseok with his mysterious air, well thought-out sentences and delicate mannered hands. Baekhyun observed Jongdae during the nights Minseok was there. He acted slightly different than regular nights and it worried Baekhyun because he knew his friend was falling in love and there were three ways this could play out: 1) Minseok would fall for him too and pay his debt; 2) Minseok would pay his debt but only as a means of getting Jongdae into bed and then discarding him; 3) Minseok would lead him on until Jongdae turned 25 and then find someone younger to have fun while Jongdae struggled to pay his debt. Luckily for his friend it all seemed to turn out well, and later that night when the Club DJ announced on the microphone that this would be Jongdae’s last night at the Praha the other dancers cheered him on. He left hand in hand with Minseok while Baekhyun waved from the doorstep, a little jealous his friend had someone to hold his hand and call him beautiful. He thought about a person he didn't allow himself to think about for a long time, his heart clenching at how long it had been since he was last held and told things would be okay.

Baekhyun stared at the dark night sky, no hints of a sunrise even if it was almost morning. He allowed himself to close his eyes and think about Yixing’s face for 5 seconds. It was all he had to spare on someone who was too good for him, had always been too good for him. Baekhyun cried himself to sleep that night, preparing for another week of glittery dancing and self-loathing.

 

 

_“I'm breaking up with you”._

_Baekhyun sat up straight, as if listening to it from this new position would change anything. “Say that again?”, he pleaded._

_“Baekhyun, I'm breaking up with you”, Yixing repeated himself, this time louder._

_“You deserve the best and I can't give you that. I'm just a low life from The Slumps who couldn't even buy you the pair of shoes you wanted for your birthday.” Baekhyun was stunned at Yixing's words._

_“I don't care that you can't buy me shoes, I love you”, Baekhyun said, in a small voice, “why do you assume I need more?”._

_Yixing hugged an unwilling Baekhyun before saying in a soothing tone “You might not want it now, but things get harder, and as years go by you'll realize having a pair of shoes and something to eat is far better than what I could give you." 17 year old Baekhyun knew this as much as almost 25 year old Baekh_ _yun did._

_“I'm setting you free to do something great with your life, Byun Baekhyun. You'll find a man or woman who'll shower you with the best clothes and jewelry and put good food on your table. And you'll have the most beautiful shoes this world has to offer.”._

_Yixing left the morning he turned 18 and Baekhyun felt betrayed, even though he knew he had no right to, since they were no longer together. He had gotten a job offer at a small factory in another district. Baekhyun still had seven months before his own 18th birthday and his prospects of getting a job were slim as he approached the date. He was not tall and strong like Yixing, he was not smart like his older brother Baekbeom who found himself a way to make money, nor was he talented like the next door kids who could sew beautiful dresses. He was just good-for-nothing Baekhyun who no longer had someone to tell him he mattered and was beautiful._

_Yixing no longer belonged to The Slumps and no longer belonged to Baekhyun._

 

 

The next weekend brought more important news to the Praha Club as during Baekhyun’s stage the DJ announced Sehun would join him for a special performance, as they had done many times before, but with a twist, since this was Sehun’s last night at the Club. Baekhyun felt hopeless once again when he heard the words through the speakers. Sehun who was two years younger than him had already found someone willing to take him, to pay for him, and here was Baekhyun trying his best for his last couple of weeks so he could add a few extra bucks to his "retirement" money as the club manager cheerfully called. It was unfair and he tried his best to put on a brave face as he spinned and twirled, hair pushed back and perfect make-up, pretty but hollow.

Baekhyun and Sehun grinded against each other under the blue and purple lights that hit the stage, the crowd going wild at them. Sehun grabbed Baekhyun’s ass like he always did during their performances, while the older ran his hands across the blonde male’s chest, glitter and sweat making everything hot and gross all at once. Usually dancing like this with Sehun made Baekhyun more aroused than he cared to admit but tonight it barely made him smile.

“Thank you for everything”, Sehun said later on as a billionaire (a man named Kim Junmyeon) took his hand and dragged him out of the club and into the good life.

Baekhyun found it in him to mutter a "You're welcome" and "Good luck, Sehun" before the other was gone.

 

The final week before Baekhyun's birthday started promising. During a private encounter one of the regular patrons asked how much it would take for him to pay off his debt and Baekhyun said he should talk to the club manager about it. The patron was old but he smelled nice and gave good tips, and at this point there wasn't much more Baekhyun could ask for when time was ticking fast on him. He waited all night to hear from the manager after the patron had left with a promise to talk to the guy, but the manager and the buying off never came and so Baekhyun was left disappointed once again. And so it came another night when he cried himself to sleep only to end up covering his puffy dark circled eyes on the next day with a lot more concealer than he usually needed.

Three days before his birthday something weird happened. Baekhyun was getting ready for his stage, make-up done to the nines, knee-high boots to match the shorts he was wearing, plaid shirt and cowboy hat. It was old western night at the Club, a night Baekhyun used to love those for the first two or three years he was there, but now after what seemed like an eternity (almost seven years) of walking around in uncomfortable clothes and shoes he hated themed nights the most. The crowd often got rowdy during these because being in a costume made people forget who they were supposed to be, just calm and nice rich people looking for entertainment. It was easy to give into the dumbest ideas while in a cowboy hat and spurs. Right before midnight, like magic (if that kind of stuff even existed for people like Baekhyun), the manager told him to go to the office, that they needed to talk. He knew it was about his upcoming birthday and all the money he would have to pay in three days if he wanted his future to be better than ending up as a dead body in a ditch somewhere.

“After tonight you're free to go”, the manager welcomed him like this. “We'll announce your final stage around 1:30am and then after you can pick your stuff up and go. Thank you for all your services, Praha Club wishes you well”. The man had no expression on his face, nothing that showed any sincerity in his well wishes.

“My birthday isn't for another three days, I-I... didn't bring all my money with me, I can't p-pay you tonight”, Baekhyun stammered.

“I don't think you understood me”, the man started again, “you are free to go. Someone finished paying your debt today, they had an agreement with the club for a while and have been paying your bill for a while now so you don't owe us anything. Goodbye Baekhyun.” The manager motioned for him to leave the office and Baekhyun got up from his seat in shock. A benefactor? Maybe the guy from earlier that week or maybe one of his regulars, but who? What would they want from him? Would he be someone's sex slave from now on? Still a brighter future than being dead in 5 years.

Before leaving the room Baekhyun turned on his heels and hesitantly asked “Who..? Should I expect someone to pick me up later?” to the manager, who only said the guy gave no name and looked like a simple person, not like the usual showy rich people that wandered around the club.

"He said he just wanted you to leave this place at ease, didn't ask for anything in return and that you didn't need to know who he was, so no one is coming to pick you up". His description only made Baekhyun more confused. “Oh, and he had dimples, I don't know if that helps”. Baekhyun grinned before leaving the office as fast as he could.

 

His last stage was successful, one of the other younger dancers, Kai, made a special appearance and as money rained down the stage for them Kai got closer to Baekhyun and told him to take all the tips as a goodbye gift. As he made his way down the stage one last time, Baekhyun felt happy like he hadn't in a long time. He felt free and afraid, but mostly thrilled with all the possibilities ahead of him. He gathered his precious stuff like a small toy cat Yixing had given him on what seemed like a century ago, some gifts he got from his dancer friends, a few books he kept in his dressing room to make time go by faster. He gifted his make-up to the younger dancers, as well as most of his stage clothes and shoes. Everyone wished him the best and he could've sworn he saw one of the bartenders, Luhan, cry a little. Baekhyun stood outside the Club, staring at the neon sign one last time before hailing a cab and heading to the place he knew he should be.

 

 

“Hi”, Baekhyun was usually loud but now was not the time for that, “I rehearsed what I should say so many times in my head”.

Yixing smiled and Baekhyun felt like home. “How did you do it?”, he asked as Yixing motioned for him to get inside.

"What did I do?” Yixing asked, a fake confused expression painting his face. Baekhyun laughed at the other man and changed subject.  

“You have a nice apartment”, he danced around the spacious living room, “you must be doing well”. Yixing smiled once more before telling Baekhyun about how after he left he soon became a manager for the factory and then another job offer came with better paycheck, around a year ago.

“So that was when you started paying me off?” Baekhyun was now sitting on the couch, his bag next to him. "You're the only one who would pay me off and not ask for anything in return."

Yixing blushed "You know me well. And I was honest, I don't expect anything in return, I just want you to be happy, beautiful". Baekhyun felt his eyes sting a little but he decided not to cry tonight. It was a time for happiness.

“Thank you, Xing. Thank you for giving me my life back", he finally allowed himself to hug the man who still knew him better than anyone ever could. "But you still owe me a pair of shoes.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure what I wanted out of this and I pretty much wrote everything in one sitting. Be kind :)


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